Recently by Michael Hinojosa

In my professional opinion, in this day and age of high stakes accountability many school districts are taking short term actions that will cause long term pain. There is significant research that the arts will improve the academic performance of students. The results will not come immediately but will appear in the long run. I am not an artist nor a musician, I am a former athletic coach, but I have seen enough research both quantatative and qualitative that indicate that the arts have a big impact on students socially and academically.

The Dallas ISD has committed to funding art and music teacher at all 130 elementary schools. We recently had an unexpected significant budget shortfall. But there was no discussion of reducing our commitment to the arts. We have had significant external support from the City of Dallas, the local arts community and the Wallace Foundation. What was refreshing is that no one waned in the commitment we have made to the arts despite the very public budget difficulties we recently experienced.

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This Conversation For decades, as teaching of the arts has been cut back in our public schools, alarms have been raised about the dire consequences for American culture. Artists and arts organizations stepped in to try to... more

Sam Hope, executive director, The National Office for Arts Accreditation (NOAA); Jack Lew, Global University Relations Manager for Art Talent at EA; Laura Zakaras, RAND; James Cuno, Director, Art Institute of Chicago; Richard Kessler, Executive Director, Center for Arts Education; Eric Booth, Actor; Midori, Violinist; Bau Graves, Executive director, Old Town School of Folk Music; Kiff Gallagher, Founder & CEO of the Music National Service Initiative and MusicianCorps Bennett Reimer, Founder of the Center for the Study of Education and the Musical Experience, author of A Philosophy of Music Education; Edward Pauly, the director of research and evaluation at The Wallace Foundation; Moy Eng, Program Director of the Performing Arts Program at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; John Rockwell, critic; Susan Sclafani, Managing Director, Chartwell Education Group;Jane Remer, Author, Educator, ResearcherMichael Hinojosa, General Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District Peter Sellars, director